


Ghost in the Graveyard

by wowsonny



Category: ASTRO (Band), K-pop, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Cutting, Death, Depression, Everybody Dies, Gore, Graphic Description, Heavy Angst, Jealousy, Love Triangle, M/M, Murder, Paranormal, Sad, Suicide, Violence, graveyard games, greed - Freeform, lol, sanha is petty af
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23305609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wowsonny/pseuds/wowsonny
Summary: An innocent graveyard game turns sinister.
Relationships: Kim Myungjun | MJ & Lee Dongmin | Cha Eunwoo, Lee Dongmin | Cha Eunwoo/Park Jinwoo | Jin Jin, Moon Bin/Yoon Sanha, Park Minhyuk | Rocky/Yoon Sanha
Comments: 13
Kudos: 35





	1. 1;2;3

**Author's Note:**

> *I used Cha Eunwoo instead of Lee Dongmin*
> 
> \--This was originally posted on Quotev; I am the rightful author--

_one o'clock,_

_two o'clock,_

_three o'clock,_

_rock_

"Do you even know how to steer?" MJ asked with a laugh added at the end. The way he used the controller was insane, knowing exactly which button to use at which exact time. Sanha had never been talented with video games. He was happy enough observing.

"I'd be having a much easier time if the controls weren't so sticky," Moonbin replied, squinting to focus as he made another turn. "What do you do while you're playing alone?"

"I've been teaching myself how to multitask." MJ smirked. He leaned to one side as his car took a sharp left. Sanha sighed dramatically in hopes of being noticed by one of the other two, but his attempt was a failed one.

"No!" Moonbin yelled as he stood, frantically pushing a finger into one of the buttons. "It's stuck!" 

MJ gave short, evil tee-hees while he crossed the finish line, and Moonbin fell back onto the couch in defeat. Sanha rolled his eyes. "Is Minhyuk coming over?" he asked nonchalantly, showing more attention to a scab on his knee.

"Why do you care?" MJ returned teasingly. Moonbin stood to go to the kitchen after the oldest glanced at him.

"I just want to avoid having to hear you both smack talk each other into another race."

"Have you had sex with him yet?"

"MJ! What the hell!" Sanha chucked a couch pillow at the offender and crossed his arms with an exaggerated amount of attitude. MJ took the hit with an annoying grin on his face. "I knew I shouldn't have  
told you."

"I'm only messing around," MJ responded, his tone turned serious and more quiet. He began to pick at the controller Moonbin was using as if to clean the buttons. "I'm glad that I know. Does Moonbin?"

"I haven't told him directly, but he should've caught on by now, right?"

"I'm not sure. He's kind of oblivious to things. I bet Minhyuk knows- Hell, he's definitely into you, too, based on how he treats you." MJ paused and licked his lips, thinking carefully. He pulled his flannel forward to keep it from falling off his shoulder. "What about Eunwoo? Think he's gay?"

"Who cares? Even if he was the only other guy in the world I wouldn't want him. I'd just be straight if it came to that."

MJ nodded, focusing even more closely on the controller. He swallowed. Moonbin came back to the living room with a glass of water in his hand, pretending to not have heard the conversation. He had known for a while that Sanha liked men. Everyone assumed that he didn't pay attention, but that was far from true. Moonbin knew plenty of things. He even knew about what had unfolded before he'd moved there, though he sort of wished he didn't.

"Let's go again, MJ. This time I get the other controller." Moonbin set his glass on the coffee table. He sat between his two friends as he had before.

"Both of the controllers are sticky," MJ lied. "We'll have to play at your house if you want better ones."

Sanha looked up from the scab he'd returned to picking. "You should just play at mine," he said with some sort of strain on his voice. "I can bribe my brother off gaming for a night."

Moonbin looked at the glass he'd set down. "Yeah. My house is a mess, anyways," he added. Sanha and Moonbin made eye contact for a moment and the latter cleared his throat. "I'll put up with your lousy controllers for now, I guess."

Sanha knew about Moonbin's situation. His aunt, who he'd been staying with ever since being rescued from his mother's pot house, had passed away two months prior, and he really didn't have a house to go to anymore. Sanha enjoyed being someone that Moonbin could talk to, but it made him feel guilty about how he usually only vented about things to MJ or Minhyuk. Moonbin wasn't too new to the group, having moved to the district during freshman year of high school, but Sanha became nervous when telling Moonbin things due to how emotionless he seemed to be. Sanha had only seen him either irritated or confused, never really happy, angry, upset....

MJ started the next race and smiled at his opponent. "You ready to lose again?"

"If by lose you mean- Nevermind."

Sanha smiled slightly at the players and laid his head back against the couch. He closed his eyes while listening to the revving of engines from the television, but right before he could fall into a nap, the sound of the front door hitting the door stop with an extra amount of force jolted him back awake.

"Are you kidding me, Asshole? I told you to stop entering my house like that," MJ complained. Sanha noticed that he'd crashed his car from being spooked and Moonbin was now leading.

"Where's your mom?" Minhyuk asked, ignoring the complaints as he looked around.

"I told her you were coming over and she left."

"That woman, I'm telling you."

Sanha stared at Minhyuk tiredly, letting himself smile into the cushion of the couch. It went away when he noticed Eunwoo shutting the door behind the intruder. He rolled his eyes subtly before laying his head back down on the cushion. 

"Hey guys," Eunwoo greeted quietly while taking his shoes off. MJ was the only one who responded. Moonbin took a wide turn with his controller, cursing as the trigger locked and his car rolled. By the time he'd respawned, MJ was right on his tail. Minhyuk squeezed in between Moonbin and Sanha.

"Excuse you," Moonbin said under his breath, irritated. Minhyuk always had to be right beside Sanha, because God forbid another man touch shoulders with him. The taller of the two gamers tried to keep his eyes on the screen while Minhyuk put an arm around the youngest and set a hand on his knee. Even MJ was slightly distracted by it, but only because he knew that Moonbin had a small crush on Sanha. Eunwoo was probably the only straight one out of all five of them. Why did he have to fall for the straight one?

"You're drooling," Minhyuk said quietly. Sanha's eyes flicked open as he leaned forward, wiping at his mouth vigorously. He stopped to glare at Minhyuk, he of which returned it with an amused smile.

"I was not!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms. Minhyuk pulled him back into the couch by his shoulders and kept his arm slung around him. Sanha turned his head away. "You're so mean."

MJ glanced back for a moment. Eunwoo was standing awkwardly by the door yet, unsure of what to do. He didn't feel wanted around Minhyuk's friends, but he knew very well that he didn't deserve to feel  
wanted. Not after what he'd done.

"Don't you like it when I'm mean, though?" Minhyuk teased as he took his hand off of Sanha's knee in order to turn his head back to face him. Sanha kept his expression cold as he stared at the shorter, urging himself to not give in this time. 

"Shut up," he replied before switching his attention back to the television, laying his head down against Minhyuk's comfortable shoulder.

"Eunwoo," MJ said without taking his eyes off the screen. He moved so that he'd be closer to Moonbin in order to make room. "Sit down. You're making me nervous."

The male obeyed, sitting beside MJ slowly. Minhyuk looked past Moonbin towards Eunwoo. Sanha noticed, and grabbed the front of Minhyuk's shirt.

"Don't pay attention to them; pay attention to me," he whined. Minhyuk looked at the tired male with his overused smile and pried Sanha's hand from his shirt, not letting go of his hand as he brought them into his lap.

Moonbin stood, annoyed with the two at his left. "The controls are stuck again," he said with an irritated tone. His car flipped at the repetitive jamming of buttons and MJ passed him, winning the race.

"I suppose you'll just have to remain a loser until we go to Sanha's." MJ set the controller down and leaned back with a sigh. Moonbin didn't reply to the comment, and set his down also before sitting again. He paid close attention as MJ turned his head towards Eunwoo. "How's the weather so far? Still windy?"

"Yeah," Eunwoo replied. "It's been pretty bad, going on and off."

MJ swallowed. Why couldn't he be like Minhyuk or Sanha? If only he could be a little more straight-forward, or more likable at least. MJ was self conscious about his physical appearance, and he didn't believe someone with even as much baggage as Eunwoo could like him in the way he wanted. The male flicked his eyes down, the pocketknife catching his eye.

"What's that?" he asked. He wished he could take it back. It was none of his business. Moonbin reached for his glass of water.

"Oh, this? A gift," Eunwoo answered, pulling the switchblade from his pocket. "Minhyuk gave it to me for my birthday."

"I didn't know it was your birthday."

"It was last week."

"Well," MJ said with a smile. "Happy belated birthday, then. Why would you need a pocketknife, of all things?"

Moonbin took a long sip, placing a bet in his head with how long it'd be before Eunwoo became sick of the older's interrogation. Two more questions. He bet on two more questions.

"Well, anything, I guess. Opening packages, self defense..."

_Threats_ , Sanha thought from the other side of the couch as he played with Minhyuk's fingers. 

"Do you know how to use it?"

"I've been learning."

MJ nodded and opened his mouth to ask something else. Moonbin cut him off. "Are we going to play another round or what?"

"I'm kind of sick of racing. Could we play Monopoly or something?"

"That sounds fun," Minhyuk joined in. "I like Monopoly."

Moonbin peered out the window from where he sat, swirling the water around in his glass. It was beginning to get dark. "Since board games are on the table," he said with a pause at the end, looking around to see if anyone would laugh or even smile. No one did. "How about we go real old school and play a game outdoors?"

"There's no ball that can withstand that wind," Sanha argued.

"We don't have to play a ball game," MJ replied, glancing at Eunwoo. He was lost in thought and not really paying attention.

"What are you suggesting then? Tag? Hide and seek?"

"When I used to live on the coast, the kids in my neighborhood and I would always play 'Ghost in the Graveyard'," Moonbin informed. By kids from his neighborhood, he meant really just his siblings, but only Sanha knew about how he grew up.

"I've never heard of that," Minhyuk commented. 

"It's kind of a mix between hide and seek and tag. Someone is the ghost, and they go and hide while the searchers count. When the searchers finish counting, they leave base and try to find the ghost. When you spot the ghost, you shout 'ghost in the graveyard' to alert the other searchers, and you have to make it back to base before getting caught in order to move on to the next round. It's pretty straightforward."

"Ooh! That sounds fun!" MJ said excitedly. Sanha was nervous about the idea, given that he was a jumpy person and easily scared. 

"What happens if you're caught?" he asked.

"Then you become an additional ghost. The last survivor is the ghost for the next game."

MJ was overly enthused about the game, and asked, "Where can we play it?"

"You can play anywhere with a base. Base can be anything. The kids from my neighborhood would always use this one Jeep, and we'd just play on our street. Sometimes we'd go to the beach and draw something in the sand to stand in."

"I know just the place where we can play," Minhyuk proposed, looking at Moonbin. "I'll drive." He stood up and pulled Sanha to his feet.

"Wait, now? We're going now? Shouldn't we wait until it's darker?" Sanha asked frantically. He was nervous about playing, and Minhyuk could see that clearly. He found it cute.

"By the time we get there it'll be dark enough." Minhyuk squeezed his hand tightly, turning to the others. Moonbin hid his irritation by heading to the door before his expression could be noticed. The others followed to get into their shoes, Eunwoo dragging behind. He was hoping that this game would make the others accept him more, but he was nervous that he would mess something up. That's what he was  
best at.

Sanha headed to the passenger door of Minhyuk's car as they filtered out of the house, reaching for the handle.

"Could Eunwoo sit up front, Sanha?" Minhyuk asked carefully. Sanha glanced across the windshield at him, surprised, but nodded with a fake smile.

"Yeah."

Moonbin and MJ were both taken aback by this, but got into the back of the car anyways. Moonbin found himself in the middle and tried his best to lean more towards MJ than the frustrated Sanha. What was Minhyuk's deal? Why was he letting Eunwoo sit in the front instead of the guy he wouldn't share?

"Oh, wait a second," Moonbin said as he let go of his seat belt before he buckled. "I forgot to put my glass in the sink."

"Does it really matter?" Minhyuk whined, wanting to go as soon as possible. Eunwoo kept his hands folded in his lap, his head bowed towards them.

"This is why my mother likes Moonbin more than you, Minhyuk," MJ joked. Moonbin reached across Sanha for the door handle and pulled. He took a moment to think of how he could get out of the vehicle and irritate Minhyuk at the same time.

"Excuse me, Sanha," he said politely. He reached around the back of Sanha's seat while swinging his leg over the younger. Moonbin made absolute sure that Sanha noticed what he was trying to do by the way he was positioned over him as he pushed the door open. Sanha looked up at him with a blank expression, but that was only because he was trying to keep it that way. He couldn't let the older know that he was affected by his actions. Moonbin gave a sly smile as he got out of the vehicle, which did it for him. Moonbin never smiled. 

Sanha glanced at MJ, who shrugged, then to the front seat. Minhyuk didn't seem to have noticed at all. He was speaking to Eunwoo as if nothing had happened. The red tint of Sanha's cheeks was no longer because of embarrassment.

Moonbin returned to the car, opened the door. He waited for Sanha to move to the middle or get out so he could get back in, but the younger male didn't do any of that. He just waited, watching the older innocently. Minhyuk and Eunwoo were talking about some movie in the front, and Moonbin caught on to what this had turned into. He was irritated, sure, but this chance was as good as any. Moonbin placed a hand on Sanha's shoulder and pulled himself into the car. He leaned over the younger just as he had before in order to pull the door to a close, but stayed with his knees on both sides of the taller for a moment more. Sanha stared up at Moonbin, then grabbed him by the shoulders. He used the older in order to lift himself up to see into the front seat.

Minhyuk was still talking away with Eunwoo. Gee, it was nice knowing he cared. Sanha dropped his head, dejected, and Moonbin rolled his eyes before swinging himself over into his rightful spot.

"Are we going to go any time soon?" MJ asked, glancing at Moonbin with a sympathetic gaze. Minhyuk looked into the rear view mirror and cleared his throat.

"Right."

The engine started, and MJ began to think of the video game. He'd have to get new controllers. Sanha turned to Moonbin and whispered, "I don't think it worked, but thanks for trying."

And Moonbin was the one who was oblivious to everything? He wasn't going to have it. The frustrated male placed his hand on Sanha's thigh like it was nothing, keeping his eyes ahead. Sanha looked at him, nervous. He bit his lip before letting his head lean against the window, trying his complete best to ignore Moonbin's gestures. He wasn't supposed to enjoy his touch. 

Eunwoo pulled his switchblade from his pocket and ran his fingers along it in order to have something to focus on. Something about the knife reminded him of something, but he didn't put effort into trying to figure it out. Minhyuk smiled at him.

"Do you like it?"

Eunwoo glanced towards the driver and nodded as he looked back down. "It's not really my thing, but I do enjoy having it. What made you get me this?"

"Well, I don't want to sound cheap or anything, but I found that on the ground at some time in middle school. I was going to put it in the lost and found, but I figured someone dangerous would steal it, like that Jongin guy. That dude used to be so scary, remember?"

"He still is." A light laugh.

"I just never really put it to use. It looks neat, though. I just thought you'd like it. And if anyone ever threatens you again, then at least you'll have something to protect yourself, right?"

Eunwoo shoved the switchblade back into his pocket, having realized what it reminded him of. It couldn't be the same knife, could it? There was no way.

MJ paid close attention to the two in the front, listening intently to their conversation. He didn't think Minhyuk was into Eunwoo the way he was into Sanha. They seemed to just be friends. Eunwoo appeared to be shy around the three in the back, but MJ would be nervous around the other two, also, if he were in Eunwoo's shoes.

"Are we almost there?" Sanha asked impatiently, hoping Minhyuk would turn his head to see what Moonbin was doing to him.

"Ten more minutes," the driver responded, keeping his eyes on the road. Sanha pouted and pushed his head against the cold window. Moonbin glanced at the frustrated male with frustrations of his own, and brought his hand higher up Sanha's leg, causing him to grow warm.

"Moonbin!" he whispered without intending to. The older looked out MJ's window with a smirk. Minhyuk opened his mouth to say something, but ended up only clenching his teeth. He could tell that Sanha was only trying to make him jealous. That's what he got for letting Eunwoo sit in the front. Minhyuk began to drive faster in hopes of getting there before he had the urge to stop the car and smack Moonbin for even daring to lay a hand on Sanha.

Luckily for Moonbin, they arrived before long.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Minhyuk?"


	2. 4;5;6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game begins.

_four o'clock,_

_five o'clock,_

_six o'clock,_

_rock_

Minhyuk turned around in his seat to smile at Sanha. To his relief, Moonbin had his hands on his _own_ legs.

"C'mon, Sanha. It's more fun if the setting is right," the driver said persuasively before turning back to stop the engine. Moonbin swallowed nervously, and the tallest of the men at his sides put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked him, concerned. Sanha liked Minhyuk, yeah, but the older could be really insensitive at times. This was not only the place where Jinwoo was buried, but also the place where Moonbin's aunt was. Playing a game in a graveyard was disrespectful as it was. 

"Yeah," the shorter whispered back, not making eye contact.

Towards the front of the car there was yet more conflict. It lay among Eunwoo, who stared at the gates. Anxiety began to overtake him.

_"Leave me alone."_

_"What are you going to do about it?"_

_"I'm warning you."_

_"Sounds more like a plead than a warning."_

_"_ It'll be more exciting if we play here. Does everyone have flashlights?" Minhyuk asked, pulling his phone out to check his battery. He was at an eighty percent. MJ took his phone out next. He was nervous about the whole idea of playing a game over corpses, but he wasn't going to let Eunwoo see him scared.

"I'm at ninety," he said. Sanha wasn't paying much attention.

Eunwoo fumbled around with his phone, then spoke, "I'm at seventy-five."

"I don't think you should play here," the youngest whispered to Moonbin, making sure no one else could hear him. "It's too much."

"I'm fine," Moonbin replied, dragging out the second word. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and made sure his key chain light still worked. It would be enough. Moonbin _did_ have a phone, but it wasn't the kind that had a flashlight built in. "I've got a light," he announced. Figuring he'd just lose it, his flip phone was pulled from his pocket and slipped into the pouch behind Eunwoo's seat.

"What about you Sanha?" Minhyuk asked while looking out the front passenger's window. Sanha still had his hand on Moonbin. 

"I don't think we should play here," he admitted.

"Just one round?" Minhyuk begged, sticking his bottom lip out in a pouting fashion at the youngest. Sanha rolled his eyes. He always gave into the older with no hesitation, and this time would be no different.

"We leave after the first round."

Minhyuk giggled like a child as he left his vehicle. The others followed suit, only without the giggling. 

"Nobody should bother us. There haven't been any funerals lately and we're far enough from city limits," the driver spoke, excitedly. He approached the barbed wire fencing that surrounded the cemetery. It was mainly to keep animals out. Minhyuk noticed how loose the top wire was around the post the connected to the gate, and unwrapped it. He pushed down on the second row so he could step over, then held it down for the ones that followed.

Sanha stood on the other side, arms crossed as Minhyuk held the wire down.

"I think this is a bad idea," he repeated.

"You said we could play a round. Don't go back on your word now."

"Of course not." Sanha put his hand on Minhyuk's shoulder and stepped over. The shorter smiled widely before placing his hand against the younger's back.

"Can I be ghost first?" Minhyuk asked cheerfully. MJ kicked at the pavement.

"But I wanted to be ghost first," he countered. It would be nice, but he was never the first choice. Not with anyone or anything.

"Then I guess you'll have to survive until the end. What should we make base? Ooh! How about the big oak tree in the middle? That's a good location..."

Eunwoo was lost in thought, thinking of the death everyone believed that he'd caused. He didn't think he was the only one responsible for it, but he seemed to be the only one anyone could blame. That's exactly how it worked. People thrive off of scapegoats.

"Hey," MJ said as he waved his hand in front of Eunwoo's face. "You good?"

The younger blinked, then quickly nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. Just nervous."

"Don't you worry. It's not like we'll be seeing any real ghosts tonight."

MJ glanced in the direction of Jinwoo's grave. His chest tightened as its appearance came up in his mind: name faded, weed-littered, flowerless. It was likely that no one really cared anymore. Jinwoo's parents were part of the select few who _never_ cared. MJ felt guilty, mainly for not visiting more than once a month. He and Jinwoo were close when he was still alive.

"How long do I have to hide, Moonbin?" Minhyuk asked as he began walking towards the oak tree. Sanha shook his head at how excited the older was. How could someone be so happy around death? It was probable that he didn't know that their past classmate was buried there, given that the two weren't close.

"Uh, roughly thirty seconds. The searchers are supposed to count like 'one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, rock' until they get to midnight."

"How about we just count to 30?" Sanha suggested, his hands folded in front of him. 

"That's no fun," Minhyuk complained. He was the first to reach the oak tree, then MJ, Eunwoo, Moonbin, and finally Sanha. "You guys start counting okay? Eyes closed! Lights off!"

Eunwoo leaned against the bark of the large tree, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. It only elevated his thoughts.

_"I- I have a knife!"_

_"Who cares? You don't have the guts to use it."_

_Jinwoo pulled the switchblade from his pocket, holding it out in a threatening way. Eunwoo let out a laugh and smacked the weapon from the shorter's hand. He stepped up to Jinwoo._

_"How'd someone as poor as you get your hands on a pocketknife?"_

_"Stop it. . ."_

_"Did you steal it from you dad? Will he beat you again if he finds out?"_

_"Qu-quiet! People can hear you!"_

_"Isn't this what you wanted? Attention?"_

_Jinwoo's eyes stung, and he clenched his hands into fists. Using all the pent up frustration, he swung his arm blindly at the taller. The laughs of the crowd turned into dead silence. They waited. Jinwoo flinched as he opened his eyes. His bully was recoiling from the blow, looking at his fingers after feeling his cheek._

_"You little-"_

"Midnight!"

Eunwoo came back to reality and looked around. Moonbin and MJ had begun to search with their flashlights, moving away from the oak tree in different directions. Sanha was lagging, taking very slow steps.

"This is bullshit," he kept mumbling to himself on repeat. His phone was only at ten percent, and his flashlight was exceedingly bright. He stayed on the pavement out of respect for the deceased, but further along the path, a large memorial stood in the way. "You can do it, Sanha. You can do it. . ." He closed his eyes and held his breath as he blindly stepped onto the grass. "You did it."

Somewhere ahead, a twig snapped. Sanha opened his eyes and smiled. He rushed to turn his flashlight off. Sanha would catch Minhyuk instead of being caught. Maybe he could even scare the older, and tease him about it for eternity. The grinning searcher continued forward, passing through grass carefully. He peeked around the memorial. To his discouragement, no one was there. The tall male pushed his lips together tightly as he continued along the path.

Eunwoo turned his light on after a while and began to move away from base. It was more nerve-racking than he'd expected. It was like some part of him knew that he would die that night.

Sanha passed by where Moonbin's aunt was buried, leading him to feel a tiny bit of guilt for actually having a good time. He pushed the thoughts out of his head for a moment when he heard yet another sound. His breathing automatically silenced as he waited in the middle of the dark. Fear griped at him then, because no matter which way he turned, he couldn't see more than a few feet ahead. He clicked the home button on his phone in a rush to get his light back, but the only light he received was that of the red battery that came onto his screen. He panicked.

"Minhyuk?" he shouted in a whisper. "Please come out. I'm scared."

There were footsteps on the pavement ahead of Sanha, and he sighed in relief. He could see the figure of someone who appeared to be Minhyuk.

"Thank you," Sanha whispered, relieved. "I was worried you would-"

"Ghost in the graveyard!" MJ shouted. Sanha spun towards his friend's voice, then back to where the figure had stood. Whoever it was was gone. 

But they weren't.


	3. 7;8;9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy could kill.

_seven o'clock,_

_eight o'clock,_

_nine o'clock,_

_rock_

Whoever it was latched on to Sanha from behind and held him still with only one arm. The other was used to muffle his cries, their hand being clamped tightly over his mouth as he squirmed in the strong grip.

_Is this really it?_ _Am I going to die in a cemetery?_

Sanha attempted at prying the arm, but he was too weak.

"Nevermind! It was just a shovel!" MJ shouted. Minhyuk loosened his grip, and Sanha finally escaped. He spun on his heels.

"Why would you do that?!" he scolded, his voice wavering. "I thought you were a serial killer!"

Minhyuk smiled at Sanha and played with the shorter's belt loops. "Oh, come on, Sanny. I wouldn't let a serial killer get to you, and you know that," he sweet-talked. The younger crossed his arms. "Don't be angry...."

"You really scared me," Sanha whined, looking at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sanny," Minhyuk apologized. He secured a grip around the taller's belt loops and pulled him forward, innocently staring at him. "I only wanted to hold you."

"Don't say stuff like that," Sanha warned harshly, glancing only once at the shorter. "You're making it difficult for me to stay mad." He reached around Minhyuk's waist to pull his phone from his back pocket, the place he always put it.

Moonbin looked towards the noise he kept hearing. It sounded like a conversation. He sighed irritably when he recognized Sanha's voice, and then Minhyuk's. Of course he'd get Sanha first.

He brought his hands up to his mouth and shouted through them, "Ghost in the graveyard!"

Sanha turned his head towards Moonbin's voice after turning on his lover's flashlight. Minhyuk rolled his eyes in irritation. "I can't stand that guy," came his defeated mumble.

"Who? Bin? I still don't get what you have against him," Sanha said while turning his sight back to Minhyuk. He examined his expression closely.

"How do you not? You keep trying to make me jealous with him." The taller knitted his eyebrows together. "And don't play dumb. I notice things, you know. I'm not just a pretty face."

"Could've fooled me," Sanha teased, pushing Minhyuk playfully. The shorter couldn't help but smile.

"Don't choose him over me, okay?" the older asked in all seriousness. Sanha scratched at his ear, embarrassed. "I don't want him to have something I don't."

MJ, Moonbin and Eunwoo began to count for the second round after the two wouldn't come out. Sanha smiled, handed his phone back to him. "We have to hide," he whispered, beginning to go further past the memorial. Minhyuk watched after him. Sanha seemed to not like him anymore, and the older had received pride in having someone who wanted him in that way.

Minhyuk went in the opposite direction of the youngest to hide before the counting finished. That little emotional pain he felt was no comparison to the physical pain he'd feel later on.

* * *

_"You can tell me, Jin," Eunwoo said with a comforting smile. He played with his friend's fingers using both hands, and Jinwoo couldn't help it. He gave in._

_"My mother came back yesterday," he mumbled carefully, just barely turning in the swing. Eunwoo lifted his head, but Jinwoo dropped his. "She still doesn't care, though."_

_"I'm sure that isn't true. Why else would she come back?"_

_"Because she forgot something. I bet she'll be gone when I get home."_

_"Jinwoo," the younger said while tracing his feet through the gravel. Their late-night talks were rare ones, but they were something the older cherished. "I'm sorry for saying the things I said the other day. You're my best friend and you trust me with your issues but I keep hurting you. I can't stop hurting you."_

_"I shouldn't have hit you."_

_"I shouldn't have hit you back. Does your face still hurt?"_

_Eunwoo used the hand that wasn't holding his friend's to feel the cut on Jinwoo's lip. The older kept himself from flinching, but avoided eye contact. "I love you, Eunwoo."_

_The younger pulled his hand back slightly, then laughed. He brushed a finger over his friend's bruised knuckles. "I love you, too, buddy."_

_Artificially, Jinwoo smiled._

* * *

"Gotcha!" Sanha shouted when he pulled on the back of Moonbin's shirt. The older brought himself to a stop in his tracks, laughing at the rush he'd gotten from being chased. Sanha had never seen Moonbin so happy, and he had to smile along with him.

"It's no fair," Moonbin panted out. "Your legs are too long. How did Minhyuk even catch you?"

The younger brushed the question off his shoulder and kept his happy face. "Come on! We have to hide before they're done counting. Who should we try to catch next? I think either of them will be a shitty ghost."

Sanha noticed Minhyuk observing their conversation, and so he gave Moonbin a smile before he turned to walk away. The older grabbed onto his wrist. "Can we talk seriously for one moment?"

The taller swallowed nervously, but provided a nod. "What about?"

"I've been straight-forward with you, but I don't think you get it. I know how you feel about Minhyuk. I'm not oblivious to everything like you think I am, but I could swear that you only see two feet in front of you sometimes," Moonbin said with a tone that the youngest wasn't familiar with. The tall male tried to avoid looking at Minhyuk, but he couldn't help it. The observer walked away when Moonbin took Sanha's hands in his own. "How have you not noticed how I feel about you? Or. . . Have you noticed? I'd rather you tell me like it is than keep me guessing."

Sanha pulled his hands out from Moonbin's. "We're running out of time to hide," he whispered. Even though he thought he'd made his answer clear, his friend's hands went around him after he turned away. Moonbin rested his chin against Sanha's shoulder.

"You've been there for me when I had no one. Don't leave me now. Don't leave me just because I wanted to get that off my chest. Just having you know about how I feel is enough; it doesn't matter if you feel the same or not. None of that matters."

"Midnight!" 

Minhyuk observed from the ground, laying among small tombstones. He didn't have much of a plan. His hiding place had been rushed.

The male had expected them to see him right away, but the flashlights were all focused in the direction opposite of his. Minhyuk climbed to his feet and strained to see what MJ and Eunwoo were looking at.

He kicked at the grave nearest to him.


	4. 10;11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I wish I could hate you."

_ten o'clock,_

_eleven o'clock_

MJ lowered his light to the ground to put an end to blinding Moonbin and Sanha, Eunwoo following suit. Sanha swallowed nervously.

No one knew what to do exactly. Sanha couldn't think of anything to say. MJ knew about Minhyuk's possessiveness, and didn't want to draw attention to it. Eunwoo didn't feel it was his place to say anything. Moonbin was too focused on holding on to the tall male that he didn't care much what anyone would be saying. It was completely quiet until Minhyuk pulled Moonbin off of Sanha with more roughness than necessary.

"What do you think you're doing? What's wrong with you?"

MJ let out a small laugh. "Ghost in the graveyard," he said with little eagerness, smiling uncomfortably. None of the ghosts paid attention to it. He pulled on Eunwoo's sleeve. "Let's not get involved with this," he whispered. Eunwoo nodded, and the two turned off their lights and returned to the oak tree.

The tallest of the two watched the drama unfold from a distance, but the other searcher wanted so badly to start a conversation. Why couldn't he have any confidence? He wouldn't be confessing his feelings, just talking. Did he really have to make such a big deal out of such a small thing?

"I don't know if this will sound like I'm over-analyzing," Eunwoo began, causing MJ to flick his head towards him immediately. He was thanking the gods in his head already. "But why have you been so nice to me?"

The shorter thought carefully before answering, scared more of saying something wrong than he was scared of the setting. "Have I been unusually nice to you?"

"It's not that... It's just, well...." Eunwoo took a breath. "I know that Sanha doesn't like me. Moonbin doesn't seem particularly fond of me, either. The only reason they let me hang out with you guys is because Minhyuk drags me along, and everyone knows that. I know that most of all. Minhyuk became my friend out of pity, and don't tell me that that's not it, because I know it is."

MJ inhaled through his nose. Was there really any response for what he just said? Before he could come to a conclusion of what to reply with, Eunwoo was continuing.

"When he's nice to me, I can sense the feeling of self-satisfaction he gets for it. It's like he feels that he's doing me a favor by being my friend. I shouldn't be taking advantage of that, but I'd rather have a single pity friend than no friend at all. I didn't realize how sad this all was until I started hanging around you guys. Sanha and Moonbin will never forgive me, and I can't blame them. I can't blame anyone for holding my past against me. I guess I've been so used to people doing that, that I never really noticed how you do the opposite until today. You don't treat me like I deserve to be treated. You're genuinely kind towards me. I don't understand how you can be, because you, out of everyone, should hate me the most."

There was a long silence between the two males, except for the not-so-distant bickering. MJ wanted anything but that conversation, but he was in too deep to just ignore all of it.

"Sometimes, I wish I could hate you," MJ mumbled. Eunwoo turned his head to the shorter, then moved closer to him until their shoulders were touching so he could hear. "I feel guilty for it--for not being rude to you. It doesn't seem like what I'm supposed to be doing but I can't hate you. I don't think I could hate you even if I tried to." The speaker dropped his head. "I find all this stupid, though. You weren't the only one at fault for what he did. What about everyone else? His parents; his dad who abused him and his mother who didn't care. Other kids, who made fun of him behind his back for his appearance and for how close we were. His cousin, who gave him a pocketknife and taught him exactly how to slit his wrists. How come none of them get any ridicule?"

Eunwoo subconsciously reached into his pocket to touch the switchblade. "His parents left town," he said. "They didn't even come to the burial."

There hadn't been a funeral. There hadn't been flowers on his grave. The cloud of gloom that hung over the town only lasted a few days, and no more. 

"You didn't stay at the burial for long. I noticed." MJ looked back at the taller. "But you came the day after. And then you visited his grave on the day of his death every year since."

"How would you know if I did that or not?" Eunwoo asked with a speck of surprise in his tone.

"I walked past you a couple of times while I visited myself. You always kept your head down. I wonder why you haven't...."

"Why I haven't what?"

"You care more of Jinwoo's death than anyone else, don't you? You think about him the most, visit him the most, and when he was alive, when you gave him such hell, you still were the one who loved him the most. Is that right?"

"I don't know what you're trying to say."

MJ was scaring Eunwoo. He thought that no one could find out the truth, that he'd be alone to face it. He'd rather be alone to face it. Being seen as a jerk who bullies someone weak to look cool is much better than being a jerk who bullies the person they love to get ahead.

The older took a long breath. "Even though you do so much more for Jinwoo than everyone else, you still aren't cut any slack. Why haven't you done what his parents did? Why are you still here?"

"Wouldn't leaving just make everyone call me a coward? I don't want to be a coward. I don't want to take a coward's way out. I deserve everything that I'm given here. Every name, every look, every attitude. Running from it all would only make me more guilty."

"Aren't you unhappy at all? Being in a town where you're so hated?"

"I don't know if I'm unhappy or not," Eunwoo answered, smiling to himself. "I don't remember what being happy feels like."


	5. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is easier than hate...

_noon_

Minhyuk pulled Moonbin off of Sanha with more roughness than necessary.

"What do you think you're doing? What's wrong with you?"

MJ let out a small laugh. "Ghost in the graveyard," he said with little eagerness, smiling uncomfortably. None of the ghosts paid attention to it. He pulled on Eunwoo's sleeve. "Let's not get involved with this," he whispered. Eunwoo nodded, and the two turned off their lights and returned to the oak tree.

"Minhyuk, calm down," Sanha said with a gentle voice. He'd once thought it'd be a great, huge, romantic thing if two people fought over him, but he was more nervous and worried than he'd ever expected. Minhyuk glared up at Moonbin, the taller only staring right back. He didn't have to explain himself.

"I've been trying to be nice to you, but you keep crossing the line. When will it register in your head that Sanha isn't yours to have?"

"Minhyuk, that's enough-"

"And you." He turned to the tallest of the three. "Why do you let him do things like this? Can't you directly tell him to stop? Is it so important for you to make me jealous?"

"That's not what Sanha is trying to do," Moonbin assured, keeping his expression stoic. "I'm the one who initiated everything."

"Then when can you stop?"

"Why should I?"

Sanha widened his eyes. It would all get too far out of hand if it went on like this. Minhyuk was surprised with that response from Moonbin as well, and he pushed against the older's chest.

"Minhyuk, you're being immature. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of nothing all the time? You did the same thing with Taemin just because we were partners for a project."

"You always got home late and wouldn't respond to my snaps as regularly! You can't blame me for worrying about you," he defended. Moonbin rolled his eyes.

"Since you care about him so much, why aren't the two of you dating?" the oldest asked, his irritation clear. Minhyuk hesitated to answer, and Sanha didn't plan to. "I'd have a valid excuse to back off of Sanha if you were. At the moment, you're telling me not to involve myself with him just because you have your little infatuation. It's selfish, don't you think?"

"What's selfish is that you think you can involve yourself with our business," Minhyuk countered. "None of this would've happened if you'd only paid attention to how uncomfortable you make Sanha."

"He doesn't make me uncomfortable. Can we just drop this subject?"

Minhyuk switched his gaze to the tallest. "I understand that he's your friend. I get that. I'm friends with Eunwoo and you don't like him. I don't need to like Moonbin in order to be with you."

Moonbin rolled his eyes again, inhaling sharply. He left the conversation in search for a quiet place to hide-- or rather, a quiet place to escape to.

"You shouldn't have behaved that way," Sanha scolded. "He has a lot more going on than you think, and you're not helping anything. I wish you weren't so jealous sometimes."

"I'll keep that in mind. The next time anyone tries something with you, I won't acknowledge it at all. I'll just look the other way."

Sanha didn't want that. He wanted anything but that. Minhyuk's overprotective attitude toward him was one of the reasons why Sanha liked him so much. He enjoyed being cherished and worried over, he just didn't enjoy his friend being attacked because of it.

The tall male swallowed before opening his mouth. "Well... you should at least tell them that I'm yours."

Minhyuk widened his eyes. "Are you serious?" He broke into a wide grin, forgetting all his previous anger at the drop of a hat, grabbing onto Sanha's belt loops again. "Does this mean I can sleep over tonight?"

Sanha pushed against Minhyuk's chest, trying to conceal his smile. "Why are you always so horny?"

"How do you know that's what I'm implying? Maybe I just want to hold you." He brought a hand around Sanha's back, and pulled against a belt loop to shorten the distance between them again. "I have to make up for what Moonbin did."

The young male's happy attitude fell for a moment and he looked at his hands, his fingers picking at each other. "Can you two not fight over this? I don't want there to be tension whenever all of us hang out."

"There was already tension with Eunwoo. I can put up a front, though, if that'll convince you to let me stay over."

"You're relentless."

Minhyuk grinned before pulling the taller closer until he could rest his chin over Sanha's shoulder. He turned his head, his nose pushing against the younger's neck. "Only with you."

"Stop it. What if the others see?" Sanha whined, grabbing at the older's shirt and pushing against him. "This is embarrassing."

Minhyuk slid his hands into the back pockets of the younger's jeans. "What's embarrassing?"

Sanha squirmed against the older. "Stop it before someone sees, Minhyuk!" The setting just wasn't right for getting hot and bothered. The shorter wasn't helping the taller's case.

Minhyuk gave up and let Sanha go. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking at the ground. The younger let out a sigh. 

"Are you really, though?" he asked, knowing of the older's antics. He would always pull something right after apologizing. Minhyuk lifted his head slightly, his frown turning into a smirk. The shorter male brought himself onto his tiptoes to quickly peck Sanha on the lips, not giving the taller time to react. Minhyuk was gone before he could get scolded again.

* * *

MJ swallowed. "When was the last time you were happy?"

Eunwoo thought on this for a short while. The other three's argument seemed to have subsided long ago, but he didn't want to resume the game. Talking with MJ was better than talking with anyone else. He gave the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He didn't feel the need to sugarcoat how he felt.

"I think the last time I was happy...." Eunwoo didn't really know himself. It'd been a while, for sure. Had it been when Minhyuk gave him the gift? No. It hadn't been then. He'd been indifferent towards the pocketknife. Ah, the pocketknife.

_"Where did you get that, anyways?" Eunwoo asked casually. He was drawing patterns in the gravel with the edges of his sneakers. Jinwoo watched him._

_"It was a gift," he answered. That wasn't exactly the truth. His cousin had been teasing him, telling him what kinds of things switchblades could do. He'd tried one of those things out when his cousin had left. Jinwoo wasn't sure if he'd forgotten the knife on purpose or not._

_The younger paused the making of his work to look to his friend. "You shouldn't tell me any more of your secrets. Everyone knows you're poor now, and that... Why did I have to say that? How can you forgive me so easily?"_

_That was something even the older wondered. Why couldn't he hate Eunwoo? Why did he allow Eunwoo to continuously hurt him? Why did Eunwoo have to continuously hurt him?_

_"It's easier than holding a grudge against you, I guess," Jinwoo responded with a small smile. His friend hesitated to return it. The short male faced forward again, pushing his feet against the ground to move the swing back. "You know, even though you can be so horrible to me... I think that these moments we have make up for it. I'm happiest when I'm with you."_

_Eunwoo didn't say anything back, but he knew what his feelings were._

_He was happiest when he was with Jinwoo, too._


	6. 13;14;15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pity is cheap.

_one o'clock,_

_two o'clock,_

_three o'clock,_

_rock_

"Start counting!" Minhyuk yelled while running by. Sanha was chasing after him, being no match for the shorter's speed. 

MJ glanced at Eunwoo. He still hadn't answered his question, and seemed to have become lost in thought. "Hey," the older said while bumping the younger's shoulder with his own. Eunwoo turned his head. "We have to play the game now."

He provided only a nod to the statement, and the two began to count in unison. MJ hadn't felt so close to him ever before. Eunwoo hadn't felt so close to anyone ever before; at least, anyone still alive. 

"Midnight," they chanted, the enthusiasm they once had having diminished due to their serious conversation. MJ left base, turning on his phone's light. Eunwoo grabbed his forearm before he got too far.

"Let's go together," he suggested in a quiet voice. MJ kept himself from grinning too widely by biting his lip. Even though Eunwoo was being nice, MJ knew that he didn't like him in the way he wanted him to. That's how every one of his past crushes had worked out.

MJ was never the first choice.

"Alright. Whoever wins gets the loser fresh-made donuts."

"Whoever wins?"

"Because I know I'm going to lose." MJ provided a laugh, then pulled Eunwoo forward lightly. "C'mon."

The taller smiled naturally. He brought his hand down from the shorter's arm to intertwine their fingers. MJ glanced at their hands, instantly made nervous by the unexpected gesture.

"Come on," he copied, being the one pulling on the older now. MJ didn't try concealing his smile this time, and he and Eunwoo began their search of the graveyard.

"I think... besides now, the last time I was happy was at the burial," the younger said. The sudden remembrance of the question was what surprised MJ, not the answer. "Before you get the wrong idea-"

"I understand what you mean. Maybe if his parents were supportive of him, or if our peers didn't have to gossip..."

"Or if I hadn't been such a horrible friend. He'd have a second person to lean on then. He wouldn't have had to resort to that."

MJ squeezed Eunwoo's hand. "If you're going to keep blaming only yourself, then I'm going to leave you for the ghosts to catch."

"Do it; I dare you. Fresh donuts are pricy these days." The older of the two laughed, but Eunwoo continued on. "So, the reason I was happy at his burial.... There were so many people who showed up. It was like everyone finally realized just how great Jinwoo was. Now that I look back on how many people actually cared, though, the thought upsets me. Do you remember Jinwoo before middle school? Before all the drama?"

MJ smiled. "I do remember him. We became friends in the fourth grade over our Nintendo games."

"Nintendo, huh? I remember those. Did you have that one offbrand Mario game?"

"Yes! Jinwoo told me to play it. It was so much better than the real thing, and so much cheaper."

"Jinwoo told me to play that one, too." Eunwoo lifted his light, having realized that he'd been pointing it at their feet instead of their surroundings. They would both get caught if they didn't pay attention. "He tried getting me into-"

MJ shushed the younger to quiet him, freezing them both in their tracks. There were distant steps, but they were fast ones, getting louder as they approached. Neither could tell which direction they came from.

"Turn your light off," MJ, though frightened, whispered to the taller without any waver in his voice. Eunwoo obeyed, one-handedly switching it off. The shorter bent to set his phone on the ground. The light shined upward as a distraction. "Which way is base again?"

Eunwoo looked around, uncertain himself. "Come this way," he rushed to say. He shoved his phone into his back pocket before adjusting his fingers around MJ's. It was then he began to run. The darkness made MJ uneasy, mainly because he feared slipping and smacking his head against a grave. How horrible would that be? Having your head smacked against stone?

Other than his fear, MJ had no complaint about being pulled by Eunwoo. He'd already pinched himself, and it hurt. 

The younger suddenly stopped. MJ was out of breath, having not had much stamina. Eunwoo closed his hand over the older's mouth to muffle his heavy breathing. He knew by the memorial they were near that he'd led MJ in the wrong direction. While Eunwoo was looking around frantically, MJ was busy staring at the hand covering his mouth. It'd gone from four to six too quickly.

"Are you okay?" the younger asked once his attention was back on the older. He removed his hand to allow him to speak. "Why are you so out of breath?"

"You didn't give me time to stretch."

Eunwoo would've laughed if they weren't so close to being caught. Whoever was chasing them had picked up the light while they were speaking, and it was off now. They'd be taking a big risk if they just ran for base. Someone would likely be standing around there, waiting for their return.

"This way," Eunwoo said as he pulled on MJ's hand. They didn't dare run and make all that noise; instead they took small steps at a time. A breeze picked up, and leaves rustled above them. The graveyard was scattered with thin trees, with the exception of the big oak one they used for base.

MJ recognized a tall gravestone they passed. "We're going the wrong way," he whispered to his partner. Eunwoo sighed. It was then there was a loud snap of a twig nearby. Both searchers instinctively began to sprint, MJ leading them in the --hopefully-- right direction.

Their feet found the pavement of the path, confirming their direction was correct after all. They weren't the only ones going in the correct direction, however. 

Eunwoo was confident they'd make it before who was chasing them. Of course, they would have. If MJ hadn't tripped over himself and fallen. He fell so hard that their hands came apart. 

"Just leave me to die," the fallen one cried dramatically.

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Just go. Please... just go."

Eunwoo didn't want to go, when he first thought of it. That was until the idea of buying MJ donuts came into play. He gave the older's head a pat before he made a break for base.

MJ grunted while he pushed against the ground, and his efforts to get back up were wasted when Moonbin tripped over him. Both of them cursed, the searcher from a blow to his side, the ghost from the rough landing.

"What the hell, MJ. Why were you on the ground?" the younger asked irritably. He grabbed at the knee he landed on.

"I sacrificed myself. I did an honorable deed and you're upset with me. Eesh."

Moonbin rolled his eyes before slapping MJ on the shoulder. "You could've sacrificed yourself by standing up instead of laying on the ground." They both forced themselves to their feet, Moonbin pulling the phone from his pocket. "Is this yours or does Eunwoo have anime girls on his lock screen too?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? It came with the phone!" MJ defended, snatching his device from the taller male. "I just haven't changed it yet."

Eunwoo touched the tree, breathing a sigh of relief while he did. He hadn't expected to actually have fun playing the childish game. Perhaps if he kept playing, Sanha and Moonbin would accept him. He'd do anything to be accepted by MJ's friends.

The winner of the game leaned against the bark of the Oak, panting. It wasn't long before MJ and Moonbin made their way to base. They had kept their lights on to be able to see where they were going.

"Gosh, why'd you have to kick my side?" the older was asking.

The younger gave an annoyed exhale. "Are you trying to pick a bone with me? I said I was sorry."

"But it didn't sound sincere. It was a 'sorry', instead of an 'I'm so sorry'."

"I'm so sorry," Moonbin apologized, the edge of irritation still present.

"But now you're only saying it because I brought it up. You even sound like you have something to be frustrated about. You should be more thankful that I'm your friend, because I think I'm the only person who'll put up with your serious attitude about everything."

Moonbin knew that a topic change would be the only thing to keep MJ from going on and on about it all, so he switched his gaze to Eunwoo. "Where are Sanha and Minhyuk at?"

"I'm not sure," the only survivor answered. MJ playfully punched Moonbin's arm.

"I bet they're both still hiding."

Moonbin knew better than that. It wasn't unlikely that Sanha had given into Minhyuk once more. He tried not to imagine what they could be doing. It couldn't be too explicit; Sanha hated bugs and would never be seen leaning against a memorial or rolling around in grass.

"Are we going to play another round?" Eunwoo asked carefully, still unsure if he was allowed to say anything. He really did want to play another round.

"I'm not sure I want to," Moonbin answered. He hadn't given his response with a rude tone or intention. Grudges were hard for him to keep, and Eunwoo had never wronged him anyways. Moonbin didn't want to play anymore for the reason that the graveyard made him uncomfortable. His aunt was buried there, and she was likely shaking her head at her nephew for being so rude towards the deceased.

MJ didn't know who to side with. He wanted to play another round so he and Eunwoo could have more time to spend together, but he didn't want Moonbin to feel betrayed. 

He was lucky that Sanha and Minhyuk had decided to show up before he had to give an answer. 

"Eunwoo won?" Minhyuk asked. It was clear he was trying to avoid the others' questions of where the two had been. 

"Yeah," Moonbin replied. "It wasn't too difficult, catching MJ."

The searcher who'd fallen tried to vouch for himself, but Minhyuk interrupted. "Well, we've had our fun. Let's get going."

Moonbin furrowed his eyebrows. Why would he, of all people, want to leave? The answer was obvious. "Let's play one more round," Moonbin suggested, keeping his expression blank. MJ was beside himself with joy.

"Yeah. What would one more round hurt? The game is fun," he agreed, successfully remaining calm.

Sanha joined the conversation. "Minhyuk said we'd leave after the first round. Aren't you guys disturbed about playing here, anyways?"

"Come on. We've survived so far. What do you think, Eunwoo?"

The male knew before even being called out that he'd be stuck in the middle. He had to choose between two options. One being to leave, siding with someone who'd been by his side because of pity and someone else who despised him, another being to stay, siding with someone who'd be by his side because he wanted to and someone else who was indifferent. It really wasn't too difficult a choice.

"I think another round would be fun," Eunwoo said.

Moonbin smiled. "See? It's three to two. Let's just play one more time."

Sanha truly was frustrated with his friends and Eunwoo. Especially Moonbin. He knew that the older was jealous that Sanha hadn't picked him, and now he was just lashing out because of it.

"We should just leave, Minhyuk," the youngest offered. "We don't have to play if we don't want to."

Minhyuk wanted to leave, but he felt conflicted in that moment. If he left Eunwoo to be with MJ and Moonbin he'd feel guilty. Wouldn't Eunwoo feel uncomfortable without him there?

Minhyuk licked his lips. "It's just one more round, Sanny. It'll be quick."

Sanha huffed. Even though the tall male had told Minhyuk he could stay over, the older wanted to stay in the graveyard to play a stupid game?

"We leave after this round-- for real this time."


	7. 16;17;18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real game begins.

_four o'clock,_

_five o'clock,_

_six o'clock,_

_rock_

  
  


Directing his attention towards Moonbin, MJ asked, "Since Eunwoo's the only one left, he's the ghost now, right?" He was given a nod in response.

Minhyuk would've offered to take his friend's place as ghost, but he knew the others wouldn't allow it. Sanha would get irritated, too, and he didn't want to lose his opportunity to sleep over at his house. Just introducing that thought made him smile. _I'm finally sleeping over at Sanha's house._ He'd been over there multiple times, but not without the others, not overnight, and not with the thoughts that he currently had. Well, maybe scratch that last part.

"Could we make a rule to keep our lights on the ground?" Moonbin asked. "I don't want to be blinded again." He glared at MJ, who'd been responsible for shining his light in the younger one's eyes over not receiving an apology he deemed worthy. "It's more fun that way, anyways." 

"That sounds fine," Eunwoo mumbled.

"Let's just do that, then. Good luck," Minhyuk told the new ghost, putting his hand on his shoulder to push him towards the dark. Eunwoo gave a small smile despite no one being able to see it, his act becoming somewhat involuntary. He shut his phone completely off to avoid someone calling and blowing his cover. The real game would be beginning shortly. He just didn't know it yet.

"Lights off," Moonbin reminded. They all moved to turn them off as prompted, but Sanha didn't even get so far as the control center.

"Damn," he cursed. "My phone died."

Moonbin furrowed his eyebrows. "Already?" He took the taller's phone and held the power button, but the red battery was the only thing that came up. Taking advantage of the situation, he put his arm around Sanha. "You can share with me, then."

Minhyuk scoffed. "That little key light won't be good enough for two people," he said with a tone full of amusement. His arm went around the youngest's waist and yanked him so their hips touched, the oldest of the three's hand falling from the shoulder as this happened. "He'll share with me."

MJ cleared his throat before Moonbin could counter that. "The three of you aren't the main roles in this movie. Stop acting like it." Annoyed was an understatement for the shortest boy. Not only was he jealous of Sanha being fought over, but frustrated that they wouldn't move the game along. MJ remained ticked even though the arguing had receded. Why couldn't he ever be the first choice?

Sanha bit into his lower lip in satisfaction. He felt bad that Minhyuk talked to Moonbin in that way, but he would rather share with the former than the latter, especially if it meant being held that way. Though, being held that way didn't make him want to leave any less. Better things would happen once they get to his house. Much better things.

Moonbin gave up on fighting Minhyuk, and went to the opposite side of the tree to lean against it while mentally complaining. In that moment, he knew he didn't have a fighting chance. He knew Sanha wouldn't pick his boring personality over Minhyuk's playful one. But he also knew how it would play out. Minhyuk would hurt him someday. Minhyuk would break Sanha's heart like a twig and without remorse over it. And who would be there for him when he suffered those tears? It'd be Moonbin. His very faint smile was interrupted by MJ's counting.

That counting was joined by all three but Sanha, who was content with hearing Minhyuk's voice from beside him. He didn't realize how much he loved that voice until then. That voice was unbeatable. That voice was expiring, though, like all of their voices, like all of their time. Poor Eunwoo. He would never be given the relief of acceptance. 

The only relief he would be given was his rightful death.

"Midnight!" the three voices shouted out in unison. The final round had begun. Minhyuk's light was the first one on, its holder impatient. Sanha was pulled away from the base, his holder eager.

Moonbin turned the key light on, having to smack it when it flickered before he headed off without a word. MJ stayed for a moment longer at the safe place. Even though Minhyuk wasn't his type, he wished to be in Sanha's shoes. The dark scared him. It scared him that he couldn't see. Being unable to move was okay, as long as he'd be able to see and know what was coming. He'd prefer to be tied down to train tracks than to be alone in a dark room awaiting his murder.

He took a step into the dark. If he didn't go, he'd be thought of as a coward. He didn't want Eunwoo to see him like that. There was an ounce of motivation that came from that thought. MJ wanted to be caught. Being caught comes from being touched by the ghost, and then you get to be a ghost, too. Being in the dark with Eunwoo definitely beat being in the dark alone. In fact, MJ would take that over being in a lit room.

And so he turned his flashlight on with his second step. The boy moved quicker now, knowing that his light made him visible to who was hiding in the shadows. He somehow managed to forget his fears for a minute or two. When he reached the barbed wire fencing that showed he'd made it to the far end of the graveyard, he remembered those fears. Only one of the lights was visible. The other must've went behind a memorial or been shut off. Where could Eunwoo be hiding?

He'd been hiding for a while now.

The quiet of the darkness was interrupted by a tree outside the fencing's leaves brushing against each other. The barbed wire scratched a post, and a brief moment of breeze hit MJ. He swallowed, nervous.

Nervous... he lifted his light and brought it over the area in front of him.

"You're supposed to keep your light on the ground, remember?" a voice said from what he thought to be behind him, but the area behind him was outside the graveyard. A new fear came to mind. 

"Eunwoo?" called MJ. He shined his light outside the fence now, backing up to get away from it.

"Don't cheat. Keep it on the ground." 

The player turned around, but obeyed the order and shined the light only at the grass and tombstones. He didn't like that. He didn't like the minimal visibility, the barbed wire scratching against the post, the fear he was trying to hide escaping his cover. He stepped forward. 

He saw someone. They didn't move, but the light caught a glimpse of their feet. The barbed wire stopped scratching the post. MJ outstretched his arm to get a better look at the nearby figure, recognized the shoes on its feet. The eyes had that sparkle, and his fear diminished. It was only Eunwoo.

"You startled me," was said through a laugh. "I was getting worried there was a serial killer out here."

"Myung Jun?" Eunwoo's voice asked, his tone a slight bit off. 

The shorter went cold. "What did you just call me-?"

MJ's finger slipped, and his flashlight shut off. He didn't rush in turning it back on. Eunwoo was there, so there was nothing to worry about, right? There was nothing to-

There was nothing. Eunwoo had disappeared when the light came back on. MJ's breathing accelerated, his eyes darted, his light lifted. The light didn't help anything. The barbed wire began to scratch the post once more, and the player took off, running, sprinting, dodging tombstones and catching himself whenever he almost fell. His watering eyes thought they saw something and MJ skidded to a stop. He spun on his heels. The phone fell from his hand. Eunwoo tackled him to the ground.

If it weren't for the light allowing MJ a proper look at his attacker, he would've fought and struggled and beat on the person on top of him. Since he could see who it was, he threw his arms up and around Eunwoo's back and clutched at the shirt without intention of releasing it. Finally. He felt safe.

"I've missed you," the ghost whispered against MJ's ear. While it was something Myung Jun would love to hear from Eunwoo's mouth, it wasn't something Eunwoo would say. Not then. Not when they'd barely been apart.

MJ's holds were broken as Eunwoo's freezing hands pushed him away. Those same hands forced him against the ground by his shoulders. The shorter one tried to conceal his smile. He couldn't lie and say having Eunwoo on top of him like that wasn't one of his biggest fantasies. 

"You caught me," said the older. He couldn't find anything (appropriate) to say in his dirty-minded head, so settled with stating the obvious. "I'm dead now."

Eunwoo examined the face he hovered over, moved one of his hands from MJ's shoulder to his cheek which provoked the notion to shiver. He tilted the head one way, then another, looking and searching, observing and discerning. "You're more attractive than I realized."

MJ's stomach turned nervously. Did he really just say that? To him?

"Well.... Thank you."

"Much more attractive than Eunwoo."

And now, the discomfort set in. "You don't have to talk about yourself like that." Really, he didn't- he shouldn't. MJ didn't enjoy the third-person. 

"Thank you Myung Jun. You listened to what I had to say. You're the only one who ever really listened or cared about what I had to say and I wished I could've noticed that before I.... I'm really glad I had you. I can't wait until..."

"Until?"

MJ's stomach fluttered. Eunwoo was talking like he wanted the same post-game act Minhyuk and Sanha were going to participate in.

"Myung Jun," Eunwoo whispered as he bent his head down further. "Why didn't I see all you've done for me before now? You've done much more than him. You even treat him so nicely just because I asked you to. I really wish I noticed it all sooner. We could've been together by now."

_Is he talking about Minhyuk? When did he ask me to be nicer to Minhyuk?_

"I know how I feel now," he continued. MJ's curiosities dispersed at that; his heart skipped a beat and a half. "I'll make it quick, okay?"

_Please. Take your time._

Eunwoo's hand lifted MJ's chin, and the other cupped the back of his skull. "I would think he's strong enough," the ghost mumbled to himself. The player waited, anticipated, for what he thought was about to happen. "I've never done this before. What am I supposed to hold onto?"

He yanked MJ's chin to the left briskly, ruining his fantasy. "H- hey! Eunwoo!!" the prey shouted.

"Ghost in the graveyard!" Moonbin yelled from the other end, having heard the name. While he did think MJ had spotted the ghost, most of his cry was from his disliking of Minhyuk and Sanha being alone together for so long.

Myung Jun struggled beneath the maniac on top of him, throwing his hands against the chest he would never have thought himself to be beating on. Eunwoo ignored those hits, focusing all his attention on keeping that grip on the head that went from side to side in attempts of escaping.

"Am I doing this wrong?" asked the ghost after another try. "Where do I pull?"

He jerked again, but only succeeded in causing the victim's neck to hurt. The tears leaving his crush's eyes weren't enough to humanize him, let alone enough to get him to dismount. 

The ghost yanked MJ's chin to the left then, and a satisfying crack sounded.

"Oh." Eunwoo released the still head and it fell to the grass. The face that'd just been fear-stricken was now peaceful, calm, relaxed as if it were just sleeping. He remembered MJ's sleeping face. It'd looked just the same years ago. Gently now, he laid a kiss on Myung Jun's forehead. The ritualistic sound of the next level's counting made its way to the end where Eunwoo began to make his way to his feet. He looked towards the tree's direction. 

Jinwoo knew he recognized one of those voices.


	8. 19;20;21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was oblivious to everything around him.

_seven o'clock_

_eight o'clock_

_nine o'clock_

_rock_

"Are you sure he got MJ?" Sanha asked, trying to ignore Minhyuk's playful hands.

Moonbin peered off towards the tall shadow of a memorial instead of where his rival wanted him to look. "I'm positive," he lied. "Didn't you hear him cry Eunwoo's name? And he isn't here now."

The youngest one elbowed Minhyuk's side to get him to stop. He didn't need to get all hot right then. "Let's start counting."

The other two cooperated after Sanha began. Minhyuk satisfied his unofficial boyfriend's wish by stopping with the roguish touching, but still kept his arms hooked around the slim waist and his chin resting over the relaxed shoulder in a way that proclaimed "this is mine". It was a comfortable stance to Sanha, but it'd be more comfortable without Moonbin there. Having Moonbin there made him feel bad. If it were the other way around, if Minhyuk were all over Moonbin, Sanha wouldn't want to witness it. 

Oh, but he couldn't imagine Minhyuk treating Moonbin so.... perfectly. A part of him wanted to show it off, too. Not everyone was as lucky as Sanha was. He should be allowed a greedy moment once in a while. Sanha leaned back against the older after 'noon' was said, and the older responded with a fragile, much too brief kiss on the side of his neck. Couldn't they count faster? So they could just go home already?

"Midnight."

Moonbin headed off without a word, without a glance, without a second of hesitation. He didn't need to be around while the other two were all lovey-dovey and obvious about what they'd do once they made it back to Sanha's house. He wasn't stupid. Everyone always thought he was stupid. Why did they think he was stupid?

The boy kicked at the pavement he walked across. It hadn't struck him until he actually tried to look for Eunwoo that he didn't have his key light on. He lifted the hand holding it. The button had jammed. He paused in his steps to try and pry it out with his fingernail.

Very light steps came from his left. They were slow. Like a predator stalking its prey. Moonbin, being himself, remained calm since he wasn't an illogical person. He wasn't illogical in such a way that he believed in the supernatural things, or the invisible things. His aunt had believed in those, but she was a little bit off her rocker. That woman was lucky to pass before she became too horrible. Moonbin, too, was a little lucky he wasn't exposed to as much craze as he was about to be.

He pivoted on his foot as he continued to tinker with the pesky key light. Once it was "fixed", however, the button became jammed in such a way that the light now stayed on without needing to be held. That was convenient, he figured. Now he wouldn't have to worry about his finger slipping off at the wrong time. 

With his tool repaired, the player shined the light to his left, but didn't see anything. "Must be a raccoon," he muttered indifferently before continuing along the pavement. Boy, was it getting cold outside. What time was it? They were likely there for over half an hour by then. He couldn't remember the time they'd left or the time they'd arrived.

It was probably around 8:30 or so. His aunt had used to make him go to bed at 8:30. If he didn't, the monsters would eat him. _Crazy._

It wasn't her fault that she was less than sane, though. She'd been in the early stages of dementia, and reasonably forgetful and difficult, but it was her long-running depression that'd killed her. Moonbin was lucky that he hadn't been the one to find the woman. It was the mailman who'd happened to see her through the window in that awful position, the somehow withstanding ceiling fan's blade bending from her weight.

Moonbin had no clue what he was being pulled out of school for that day. He'd been thrilled to get out of class, in fact, before realizing that it was because of his outrageously irritating and good-for-nothing caretaker. What if he'd been allowed to finish that day at school? How long would he have waited for her before he made a call? How long before he gave up and walked to the library to mess around with one of his friends? A minute? Two? Moonbin never waited long for anyone. You'd have to be pretty special to receive the gift of his patience.

The player returned his focus to his walk. He didn't need to think of his aunt right then. He didn't need to be distracted from the events around him. Although, there'd been something he hadn't noticed already. And that slight oblivion was already bordering death. That careless act, that careless mistake he'd made, was already carving his epitaph into the tomb. Say he hadn't made that mistake. Say he'd turned his light the right way.

Would he have lived then?

A tall and familiar figure came into his beam of light then, holding onto a shovel by the handle's middle in a single fist. Moonbin shouted the chant in a single breath, quickly turning on his feet to run in the opposite direction for base. He provided a laugh over his shoulder as he ran. What was the purpose of the shovel? Was it supposed to scare him? Did Eunwoo really believe that were possible?

He dropped his light. "Shit," he panted, slowing to get a look behind him. That figure wasn't far behind. It was coming up fast, so fast. _How can he move that fast?_

Moonbin's feet tangled, but he caught himself. He caught himself again. He kept going. He kept pushing. He looked back. That figure wasn't gaining nor losing on him.

_Why isn't he dropping the shovel?_

The abandoned light curved around that figure, around his tall height. Moonbin couldn't make anything but black out. That darkness was getting closer now.

_What the fuck is he going to do with that shovel?_

He wasn't scared. He didn't feel scared. He couldn't feel. He could barely think. Had this been what she'd felt like? Had his aunt felt like this? He stumbled again, kept looking back. 

_Why can't I hear him breathe? Isn't he exhausted? Why is that shovel so important to him? Holding onto it so tightly--_

Another stumble, another frantic glance. He dodged a grave.

_Where's base? Which direction did I run? It's too dark. That damn light.... That shovel...._

Moonbin dared another glance.

_Where'd he even get that shovel? I didn't see any shovel. I didn't see any shed. Where in Hell would he find that shovel? That shovel--_

His chin came to his shoulder.

_WHY'S HE RAISING THAT SHOVEL?_

An echoing _thwack_ from the metal spade sent Moonbin to the grass, sent him spiraling into disorientation. His breathing turned into hyperventilation. He couldn't catch it. He couldn't find the strength to move from the ball he'd curled up in. He couldn't find the strength to shout for help or to curse at Eunwoo for being out of his right mind.

A sharp kick to his chest turned the grounded male onto his back. He wheezed only briefly. After that he went quiet, suffocating. The oxygen above him seemed to vanish. He tried to sit up. He tried to relieve the orthopnea; the foot that'd kicked him interrupted that. It stepped on his chest, pressed down, pressured his sternum. The adrenaline sent his arms up to meet that leg, to try and fight it off through pushing and punching to no avail.

Moonbin couldn't see no matter how much he wanted to. All his sense went straight to the one of feeling, where all the pain overwhelmed him, where all the pressure crushed him, where all the self-critical thoughts berated him.

_Are you stupid? How didn't you see it coming? Why can't I see?_

Though it was a good thing. It was a good thing he didn't see. Would one wish to see the bullet with their name on it? Would one wish to watch that bullet be shot?

Moonbin's arms collapsed at his sides. He began to fall away. Right before he could meet that relief his bullet came. In the form of the shovel's blade, it came down on his neck, pierced only a shallow inch into his flesh, came down a second time. It came down a third. The edge was too dull to get a clean and pleasing slice, so it came down a fourth, too.

And there, the ghost wondered.

_How blue was his blood before it turned that red?_


	9. 22;23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people never change.

_ten o'clock_

_eleven o'clock_

Sanha let out a childish giggle when he reached the tree first. "I win!" he taunted. Minhyuk ran into him, grabbing him by the hips, and turned him around so the older would be the one against the tree with Sanha laying back against his chest. He hung his chin over the taller's shoulder.

"I win, too," Minhyuk mumbled, kissing Sanha's warm neck gently.

They stood there in a comfortable silence. The game was almost over, which meant they could go home soon. And they _really_ wanted to go home. Minhyuk especially, who'd been controlling himself for the longest time, keeping himself at bay for _the longest time_. 

"I love you Minhyuk," Sanha whispered, trying not to disturb the quiet. There was a breeze, yes, that rustled the leaves of the tree rather loudly, but other than that and the chirping of crickets it was a silent night. It was a peaceful night. 

But Minhyuk could swear he heard something through that peacefulness, something not-so-peaceful. "Sanha," he said. The younger tensed up, because that tone was not one of peace, not one of calm. "Sanha, did you hear that?"

"No--"

Minhyuk could've _sworn_. Was it just in his head? Why would that be in his head? Who, in a situation as comfortable and relaxed as that one, would imagine the sort of metal _thwack_ he swore he heard?

He held Sanha tighter. "Should we go see if the others are okay?"

"What did you hear?" the taller asked. He swallowed. "You're scaring me."

Minhyuk reached for Sanha's hand, the one holding his phone. He took it and brought it up to see ahead of them. Sanha's stomach began to turn, his chest began to tighten, his heart sped up. He could feel Minhyuk's do the same. Neither of them felt very peaceful anymore. They didn't feel safe. 

The shorter turned the light the other way to try and ease into revealing what they saw. He was scared he'd see something. He was even more scared he'd see nothing.

Sanha grabbed the hand Minhyuk held him with to bring it further around him, to squeeze at those fingers as best he could. It helped. Not fully, but he felt more protected then. Just trust Minhyuk, he told himself. _He wouldn't let anything hurt me._

Minhyuk, though, found himself in a dilemma. His light had found nothing. There was nothing in that semicircle around the oak tree. He didn't want to move around to the other side of the tree either, and definitely did _not_ want to shut his light off knowing he'd have to turn it back on again. So, he called out, "Did you get Moonbin?"

Sanha squeezed his eyes shut. He hoped someone would answer, prayed it would be Moonbin, or MJ, at that point even Eunwoo. But there was no response to the question. The paranoia and fear easily broke his mind.

"Call the cops," he whispered, right on the verge of crying. Minhyuk sighed.

"And have them come and find a bunch of teenagers playing a game in a graveyard? We're trespassing, Sanha."

"I don't _care_. I just want to go home. Why'd you have us come here? Why'd you choose to play a game _here_?"

"You're blaming _me_ -?"

"Right! I'm blaming you!" He let go of Minhyuk's hand more roughly than he should've, stepped forward and away from his protection. His arms crossed, a hand came up to his mouth so he could bite his nails. He didn't want to go out into the open by himself, but he didn't want to stay there either. "If you hadn't brought us all here, then we wouldn't have had to play this game!"

"Why don't you blame _Moonbin_? He's the one who brought it up in the first place! Is anything ever his fault?"

"Why are you so fixed on the idea that he's always wrong?" Sanha's fists clenched. "Why are _you_ never wrong?"

Minhyuk cracked a sardonic laugh. "You really.... All you do is whine, you know that? Whenever someone does something you don't like, then it's their fault something goes bad. You're never this strict on Moonbin! Isn't that because you want him more than you want me? Get off my dick then. Just get on his already."

Sanha smacked him, and the night became silent again. Silent, but not peaceful. Minhyuk looked at the taller with genuine regret. He knew full and well he shouldn't have said all that, and that he shouldn't have acted out the way he did, and that he shouldn't have made Sanha so worked up, so worked up that he was crying.

"Sanha--"

"I h-hate you."

"Are you guys going to count or what!" Eunwoo's voice shouted from what seemed like a ways away, a ways behind the oak tree they were stationed at.

Sanha's crying turned bittersweet. He smiled. The others were still okay. When he looked back at Minhyuk, he wiped his face with his sleeve to prove just how okay he was, too. "I'm going to go find the others," he said, his voice shaky yet. "Don't come with me."

Minhyuk let his head fall back against the tree, his eyes watering way too much for him to see clearly. What he could see, was Sanha beginning to pass him, to walk right by the oak tree, to go into that dark all by himself. 

_Grab him. Don't let him go. Hold him. Apologize to him. Cry for him. Beg for him._

Sanha made it past. Minhyuk clenched his eyes shut to clear them of those tears. It was to no avail, because they didn't want to stop coming. He lowered his flashlight to his side, plunging the area in front of him into dark.

But that didn't matter, because the area in front of him wasn't the area exposed to danger.

"Eunwoo-?" Sanha's voice called. "What the hell!"

A body hit the ground, and Minhyuk came around the tree right away, aiming his light forward. The scene laid only a few feet in front of him. The scene that made him freeze. Eunwoo straddling Sanha's back and holding his head up by the hair wasn't something he'd thought of seeing, not in the least. 

"You think you're so innocent?" the attacker cried out. "That hating Eunwoo is enough to keep you from Hell?"

Minhyuk took a quick step forward, ready to grab Eunwoo and get him off the tallest male. He didn't know _what_ was going on, but he couldn't let it happen. But...he stopped himself.

Because Eunwoo used that grip he had to slam Sanha's head forward, against the stone of a grave. It had to have busted his nose. Minhyuk didn't know what to do now. Was Eunwoo always like that? Was Minhyuk seeing things, picturing things? Was he going insane?

"You never did a damn thing! You let it happen! You stood by and laughed like everyone else!"

Another hit, another strike, sending Sanha into a frenzy of panic, delirium. Minhyuk took a nervous step backward. All that blood.... He _must_ be imagining things.

Eunwoo gave a laugh, looking to Minhyuk. His eyes were so different, so not Eunwoo. Minhyuk knew now. He had to run. He had to get away. 

He spun on his heels, sent the very-much-conscious and maybe even salvageable Sanha into darkness again. He was sent into total darkness then, with just another smack against that stone grave.

Minhyuk still had a chance. He could still survive. His feet found the pavement, his light found the gate, then the fence they'd crossed to get inside. The breeze felt much colder than it'd been earlier. That was just him. That was just his fear making everything more noticeable. His fear made everything more noticeable.

Yet he still managed to miss the nearing footsteps as he slowed down. A weight came over him, a weight so large that it sent him to the ground just inches from that broken barbed wire. _Fuck!_

That fear, that overwhelming and overpowering sense of fear he had made him lose all rationality. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to think. The cold body on top of him pushed his face into the grass roughly--though it wasn't exactly as rough as Sanha's fate. His struggling was minimal.

"And you... you never cared at all. You're almost the worst one. You never gave Eunwoo even a little bit of hell for what he did. You never cared what he did. Even if I didn't want him to be blamed--really?! No shame at all? You'd be the prison guard making small talk with the murderers, you-you'd be the one looking the other way when they beat each other up and bent each other over."

He picked Minhyuk's head up by the hair as he'd done to Sanha. The player felt himself begin to cry. God, why'd he let that happen to Sanha? Why didn't he get Eunwoo off of him? Why'd he watch the murder happen?

Why'd he look the other way?

"You're just as guilty." 

His head was dropped, his cell phone reached for. Once pried away Jinwoo gave it a hard smack against the top edge of a close-by gravestone. Darkness again. Blindness again. Alone.

"Eunwoo," Minhyuk sobbed out, clutching at the dying grass. "Why are you being like this?"

The cackle he received was worse than any verbal response, and his fear turned briskly into hatred. Why'd he have to hurt Sanha like that? Why'd he have to murder him? Why'd he have do it in front of Minhyuk?

Minhyuk, as he tightened his grip on the grass and caught a hold of his adrenaline, lifted his back and leaned to one side quickly to buck the heavy male off. It worked--it worked enough. Minhyuk blindly tried to find the barbed fence ahead of him. He did, he found it. He found it the hard way, by grabbing onto a barb on the broken line of fencing. He cursed and brought his hand back.

That old, rusting barbed wire could still cut.

Minhyuk worked on standing up first, on getting a leg over the fence, then another. He thought he'd been quick enough, quiet enough, efficient enough, but he was pulled backward all the sudden. He was pulled backward by the neck. Pulled backward by barbed wire.

Pulled backward and against that fencing and then against Eunwoo's chest. It wasn't his sobs anymore that he choked on. Those barbs cut so smoothly--almost like that was their purpose. Minhyuk clawed at the arm pulling that wire tight, doing more than just suffocating the victim. Then he clawed at the one that went around his waist to get him to stop fucking squirming so much.

"Is it better this way?" Jinwoo whispered. "Is it better when there's no one watching at all? When there's no one to look the other way? Is it better to be alone when there's no one? I would've preferred it. I was alone, but there were so many. So many of you could've said something, done something. You could've kept me alive. But you wanted me dead. Admit that. Admit you wanted the annoying depressed kid to go so you could pretend nothing was wrong in your little rich and perfect world your parents made for you. Admit it!"

Minhyuk responded with a choked cough. Blood seeped out from the corner of his lips, moving down his chin, down his neck to meet the other tracks of blood leaving the slits the barbed wire made.

"Admit it!" the ghost shouted.

Minhyuk coughed again.

"You fucking better answer me!"

And, with a quick tug of that wire, Minhyuk went limp. Jinwoo let go. The body fell silently.


	10. 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and love is bittersweet.

_"Think he's serious?" one of the onlookers asked her boyfriend._

_"Hell no," came the response. "He's not even on the ledge!"_

_They craned their necks back up toward the hysteric male, squinting their eyes from the bright morning sun. Neither of them would admit their nervousness, their premonition. Instead they only laughed along with the few others watching. None had expected their school day to begin in such a way-- in such an unusually humorous way._

_Jinwoo always seemed to want the attention. He fell into the "depressed" category like so many others. That category had been twisted in such a way that only a handful of the people in it were actually depressed, actually suffering, actually wanting help, and so his cries were pushed aside. His slash marks were pushed aside. His begging for it to stop was pushed aside._

_He was up to the emotional edge by then, and all it took to send him to the roof's edge was one rude thing Eunwoo said to him over text. He would wait. Jinwoo would wait until he could see Eunwoo's mother's car._

_By the time that car came, the crowd was much larger, much more mocking. Teachers had been alerted by a student who really did worry. They had made it up the stairs, up to the door, but they couldn't get through it. Jinwoo was smart enough to push a thick board of hardwood between the handles. His art class had been painting those boards for a week or so. The poor board he'd painted wasn't good for anything other than its current use._

_Eunwoo was greeted with a slap on the back by a buddy of his. Another rich snob who'd gotten out of a silver Mercedes akin to the white one in front of it. The heads of the crowd's participants pushed the two newcomers to lift their heads similarly. Eunwoo squinted._

_Jinwoo's fists clenched._

_Sanha gave a glance to Minhyuk. Minhyuk gave a glance to MJ as he returned._

_"What'd they say?" Sanha inquired, moving closer to Minhyuk hoping for the situation's discomfort to be relieved by the shorter one's nearness. "Are they going to do anything?"_

_"Yeah. They should be up there now. I don't know why he's still--"_

_His words were cut off by an exclamation from Sanha, who'd been shoved aside from Minhyuk by someone pushing between them, someone running towards the school entrance with no patience or concern for those around them. Minhyuk took a step forward as if ready to go after that person, but Sanha grabbed his arm._

_"Who was that?" the tallest asked._

_Minhyuk swallowed, looked over his shoulder at Sanha. "Cha Eunwoo."_

_Sanha hesitated, peered over at MJ who still stared up at Jinwoo without any attention dedicated to his friends. The youngest of the three scoffed, "So he really thinks he'll jump?"_

_"You don't?" MJ asked suddenly, biting his lip after._

_"No, I don't. I understand why Eunwoo would be so Hellbent on getting to the rooftop, though. If that guy actually decides to jump, then he'd be the one at fault. He'd spend the rest of his life being guilty, and he'd deserve that, too, I think. He's such a dick that even without this guy killing himself--"_

_"Yoon Sanha," Minhyuk interjected strongly, looking at him with an expression that made the younger's chest hurt, but it shut him up so it worked all the same._

_Jinwoo's phone vibrated, and he gave it one last look. He sniffled at that name, clicked it, opened the text log and reread everything from just ten minutes ago. The most recent message didn't matter. Saying sorry to a plate you dropped doesn't put the plate back together._

_Maybe it was Jinwoo who was wrong. Maybe he shouldn't have done what he'd done. Maybe he should've went home instead of staying with Eunwoo. Maybe he shouldn't have kissed him. Maybe he should've known his limits._

_If only the faggot had known his limits, he wouldn't have been called a queer by someone he loved so much._

Stupid queer.

_A gaze down below made him notice Eunwoo's lack of attendance, and only when he switched his gaze to the school's entrance did he realize he'd missed his chance. Eunwoo was already on his way up, and the board was already giving in to the force on the door barricading off those materialistic teachers who'd lose money if their administration were sued. That board would break eventually, and Eunwoo wouldn't be the first one out on the rooftop._

_Eunwoo wouldn't be in the audience of the play Jinwoo had prepared for him._

_If he waited, though, there'd be no play. He'd be grabbed roughly by those try-hard teachers, yanked away from his escape, incarcerated in an asylum for more than a summer and he couldn't fucking stand those summers much less what was in store for him now. He needed to escape now._

_The board split._

_He needed to jump now._

_"Did you hear that?"_

_He needed to go now._

_"Park Jinwoo, please-!"_

_He looked over his shoulder at the teachers coming toward him and his fists released themselves._

_"JinJin!" he heard Eunwoo cry._

_He bent his knees._

_MJ stopped breathing._

_He pushed away from that concrete edge._

_Eunwoo shoved past those teachers._

_He felt that stability disappear from all around him._

_The crowd at the bottom dispersed to make room. MJ was pulled back by Minhyuk. Sanha covered his eyes._

_A dissatisfying splat-like noise opened them again, and Sanha watched MJ pull away from Minhyuk to step towards the bloody gut-plastered sidewalk. The previous murmuring was only silence now, only chirping birds now and no one could say anything. It only took the first person to scream for someone else to vomit, others avoiding looking altogether and MJ squeezing his eyes shut to stop the overwhelming urge he had to cry._

_He was angry. MJ was pissed off. He had no one to blame. He'd promised._

_Eunwoo reached the edge and the teachers pulled him back by the arms as if not letting him see, as if he was any more important than the onlookers at the bottom. Eunwoo broke down; his body fell against the concrete._

But now his body was elsewhere, sitting down against the oak tree with a smile on its face. He brought his phone out into his hand. "Look at you," his mouth mumbled. "Even your lock screen is depressing. If I were still here I'd worry about you, you know."

His mouth smiled weakly. His finger pushed against the home button, that black background transitioning into the same black background after the phone unlocked. A brief search through each of Eunwoo's social apps made that smile deplete.

"No friends, huh? No one wanting to talk to you?"

Jinwoo found himself headed to the camera app, then to the video category. The faint light from the device provided minimal visibility. Still, that faint light allowed faint sight of Eunwoo's handsome face on the screen. An annoyed scoff forced itself out.

"You really are handsome, but that's not enough anymore, now is it?"

Jinwoo composed his attitude at once. He clicked record, waited a few seconds.

"Do you know how horrible you are?" he started. There was a brief pause as he thought of what he wanted Eunwoo to hear. "You really piss me off. I'm glad you know what this feels like. How can't you feel so alone? You only have one person, right? And how long did it take you to realize that? Maybe not as long as it took you in middle school, but...."

"You know, Myung Jun really is a saint. He really cared about me. He visited me. Almost as much as you visited me. He really cared about you, too, and I really hate that; I do. I'm jealous that he took all his pity away from me and gave it to you. I think the only reason he treats you so well is because I asked him to not keep that grudge. But I won't make you think of that. Not while you're crying like you will be."

Jinwoo played with Eunwoo's pockets until he found what he'd planned to. He pulled the switchblade out.

"Actually, Eunwoo, I did all of this for you-- Myung Jun and you. As much as you piss me off, as much as I want you to know what it feels like to want to die, as much as I hate how Myung Jun loves you.... I love you just as much as Myung Jun does. I really hate that. You don't deserve my love. You don't deserve me. But you don't deserve everyone's hypocrisy either. They're just as guilty as you are and they treat you like this. I pity you.

"At least you visit my grave. At least you pay respects. At least, when I was alive, you paid attention. No one else would even acknowledge me unless you were messing with my head like you did. I miss you so fucking much, Eunwoo. I wish I wouldn't have jumped. I wish I would've let you keep abusing me. Maybe it's Myung Jun's fault more than anyone's. He's the one who gave me something to look forward to. He raised my expectations. He made me expect more from everyone. That's a harsh reality sometimes. Sometimes it's hard to face that you can't be treated the way you want to be treated."

"I want you to die still. I wanted those assholes dead. They'll go to Hell. Maybe I'll go with them. But you won't. You and Myung Jun will be happy. You both deserve happiness. You didn't have to care for me, but you did. You didn't have to visit me, but you did. I wish more people would visit the dead. You know something, Eunwoo? Moonbin never visits. He came once with Sanha, but he only came to make Sanha think he had feelings, and Sanha only came because he wanted Moonbin to feel like he cared. His aunt couldn't have meant much to him, I guess. He just hates that orphanage. He can't do whatever he wants under their care. He can't talk back, insult, make fun of their dementia over there without punishment."

"And Minhyuk.... Why even try to be friends with him? You know how he only drags you around because of pity. Even though you and Myung Jun pitied me, at least we had some real friendship beneath all of it. We laughed. We had stuff in common. We didn't give each other cheap gifts that we happened to find on a sidewalk somewhere."

Jinwoo flicked the switchblade open. "So... I guess I'm sorry it had to end like this. Your life wasn't going anywhere anyway, was it? How are your grades since I've gone? They weren't that good even before I left. I wonder how you made it into high school. Was it money? No. Your parents must be upset with you, too, right? At least you were honest with them. I'm proud of you. You didn't have to own up to all of it, but you did. Why'd you take so long to mature? I wish others would mature. I wish I could show all of those people, but my supernatural abilities only go so far." Eunwoo's phone fell from his hand when the blade of the pocketknife met his wrist vertically. "I- I wish"--he grunted--"I could've made them all sorry."

The blood leaked from that cut more eagerly when the blade lifted; it fell into Eunwoo's lap. His face twisted into a grimace. The pocketknife was moved to the other hand.

"They'll understand one day, though, right? I just had to- I had to save you and Myung Jun from that waiting. I've worried you might do something stupid before. You don't deserve to die like I did. People are going to wonder tomorrow morning. They might think you killed everyone here and then yourself. They're going to question your family, the others' families. I wonder which of your families will care most. I think the only one that really cares at all is Myung Jun's. They're the only people who can make me feel guilty at this moment... but this is for the best."

The blade swiped again, much rougher. Eunwoo's hand released the knife involuntarily. His arms began to shake.

"All of this was for the best. If I never get to see you again, it's okay. It's for the best." Eunwoo began to cry, but the tears weren't his.

"I have to be happy without you now."

_Midnight_

And suddenly the tears were his. He screamed; the agonizing pain tore his will apart. He clutched at the ground but that hurt more. His palm met something smooth, picked it up the two inches it could manage. It was his phone. His breaths came irregularly and he couldn't see well. The red square in the bottom of the screen was familiar enough for him to click it.

It began to play from the start.

Eunwoo couldn't breath, couldn't stand the pain. He clenched his jaw. What the fuck happened?

He couldn't remember anything, not anything relevant. He couldn't say what happened after he'd heard _nine o'clock rock_. This terrified him. The blood terrified him. "Do you know how horrible you are?" terrified him.

When'd he say that? When'd he record that? When'd he cut himself? Where was MJ?

He screamed again. The video was clearly not his own doing; that voice wasn't his. He dropped the phone and pushed his palms into the cold grass. His shaky arms managed to lift him enough to get a foot planted.

He didn't want to hear those words.

Practically climbing the oak tree with his back, he had himself on two feet before the minute was over. The scraping on his back was nowhere near the burning of his arms. 

"Myung Jun really is a saint."

Eunwoo stopped. His crying didn't. He leaned back against the tree, and the longer he listened, the more he fell back to the ground.

"He visited me. Almost as much as you visited me."

_JinJin?_

Eunwoo's vision blurred, though he wouldn't have been able to tell. Before too long he'd be dead. The idea, to him, wasn't terrifying. He needed to calm down.

"I think the only reason he treats you so well is because I asked him to not keep that grudge. But I won't make you think of that. Not while you're crying like you will be."

Eunwoo clutched at the grass weakly. He had to find MJ. He had to get back up. The more he listened, though, the more it was made clear to him, the more weak he became. It was too late. The blood all over him wasn't only the vibrant red leaving his forearms. 

The revelations of the people who'd pitied and shunned him came to light from Jinwoo's words. His chest squeezed. Even though he was only sitting, he was made dizzy.

"Your life wasn't going anywhere anyway, was it?"

His body grew cold. He felt himself losing. Every care he had went astray. The sound of his own voice made his ears ache, but he had to hold on just the little bit longer. He had to hear it all.

"I just had to- I had to save you and Myung Jun from that waiting. I've worried you might do something stupid before."

Eunwoo smiled. Maybe he should've. Would it have prevented that? Would MJ still be alive? Would MJ be happy?

MJ was free now; he had to be happy. He didn't have to hold anything on his broad shoulders anymore. He was in heaven now.

"All of this was for the best. If I never get to see you again, it's okay. It's for the best."

Never seeing him again? Eunwoo didn't want that. But maybe it was true. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe Jinwoo had to sacrifice himself for Eunwoo and MJ's sake.

Eunwoo wouldn't have to feel accepted anymore. MJ wouldn't have to be the entertainer everyone used anymore. Neither of them would have to try so hard anymore.

The player's vision blurred again, his head felt light. His smile didn't sober.

Because he was thinking...

Maybe one day he'd know what happiness felt like.

His breath sped up, fast and shallow, an empty exhale sending his body still. His arms rested numbly against his thighs and his palms faced the black sky with the backs of his hands still touching the cold grass. He shut his eyes slowly, like it was the last time he'd blink before falling into comatose. The smile on his face became too much for him to hold, and he relaxed his lips. A breeze hit him. His hair moved just barely as if it were more alive than he was. His slowed heart finally gave up.

The dizziness stopped.

So that's what happiness felt like.


End file.
